Japan envoy arrives in Beijing to amid island row tensions

PanARMENIAN.Net - A Japanese envoy has arrived in Beijing for talks aimed at cooling tensions over an island dispute that has raised fears of an armed confrontation, Belfast Telegraph reported.

Natsuo Yamaguchi made no comments upon his arrival but told reporters in Tokyo he hoped his trip would help ease months of friction over the uninhabited East China Sea islands that are controlled by Japan but claimed by China.

"It is important for us to have consultations to normalise our relationship," said Yamaguchi, a politician who leads the New Komeito party, the junior partner of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

However, he said Tokyo's assertion that the islands are Japanese territory is unchanged, rejecting Chinese demands to acknowledge any dispute over their sovereignty.

Both nations have called for dialogue recently, and Chinese state broadcaster CCTV led its noon news broadcast with a live report on Yamaguchi's arrival in a sign of the importance Beijing attaches to his visit.

Tensions soared after Japan's government bought the uninhabited islands, known in Chinese as Diaoyu and Japanese as Senkaku, from their private owners in September.

Trade and tourism between the countries have dropped off sharply and almost all bilateral meetings between their officials have been cancelled. The islands are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and a potential wealth of gas, oil and other undersea resources.